The city of Koronadal in the Philippines made a massive step toward inclusive development through incorporating the Blaan tribe and other indigenous groups into its strategic plans.
During the Hinugyaw Festival on January 10, the city authority of Koronadal set aside a day exclusively for the indigenous peoples (IP) community.
On "8th Indigenous Peoples Day," the province recognized the indigenous peoples' contributions to Koronadal's contemporary culture and history.
The Kalondatal valley was long inhabited by the Blaan tribe until it was designated as the Marbel Resettlement District approximately 84 years ago. The resettlement location is today known as the city of Koronadal.
Empowering the IPs
The Barangay Empowerment Program (BEP) continues to be a part of the city's development agenda, and it allocates resources to promote the community's hinterlands, directly helping indigenous people.
BEP provides funding for the projects, programs, and activities of the 27 barangays and the most isolated sitios, guaranteeing that progress is felt in the hinterlands, especially in the IP villages.
This program intends to solve economic, peace, and order issues by tackling poverty and educational inequality among the IPs.
In addition, the city plans to create an Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development and Protection Plan (ADSDPP) and grant a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title for the Kalondatal district.
Boosting Inclusivity
The number of IPs in the provincial unit has increased significantly as 12 out of 27 barangays have chosen their village's Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR).
These communities have also built their Indigenous Peoples Structures (IPS), which the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples defines as the organizational and cultural frameworks that allow Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples to make independent choices and engage.
Assumption, San Roque, San Jose, San Isidro, Magsaysay, Mabini, Esperanza, Saravia, Topland, Cacub, Paraiso, and Rotonda are the barangays that have already established IPMRs and IPSs.
In addition, Koronadal City intends to bolster the IPSs, empower the barangay IPMRs, find relocation locations for IP families affected by disasters, and even build an IP cemetery.
There are also plans to increase livelihood support, initiate farm-to-market road projects, street lighting, agricultural inputs, and mechanize IP villages.
